Farmworker heat rules: Under emergency rules that take effect on Tuesday, employers in Washington state must give farmworkers 10-minute paid rest breaks every two hours and provide shade or other ways for workers to cool off when temperatures are 100 or higher. (Capital Press)
Heir’s property barricade: FEMA rejects up to a quarter of applicants for disaster aid in parts of the South because they cannot prove ownership; it’s another legacy of “heir’s property,” which has been cited as the leading cause of involuntary land loss among Blacks. (Washington Post)
New Smithfield CEO: Shane Smith, a two-decade veteran at Smithfield Foods, was named chief executive of the world’s largest pork processor, succeeding Dennis Organ, who “is stepping down for personal reasons” after eight months on the job. (Smithfield)
Soy roots affected: Warmer temperatures and increased levels of ozone – two aspects of climate change – harm soybean roots and microorganisms in the soil, reducing carbon stored in the soil, researchers said in the journal Science Advances. (North Carolina State University)
Big farms dominate: So-called commercial farms, the category that includes large farms with more than $350,000 a year in gross cash farm income, received an average of $84,775 apiece in USDA payments in 2019, more than three times the national average. (Economic Research Service)